Another potentially ludicrous question

Rheged · April 13, 2011, 07:42:14 AM

Quote from: Mossie on April 13, 2011, 07:36:07 AM
There are a few museums in the UK & worldwide that could bring a significant air force on their own. Duxford comes to mind having been there in recent years, it's even got it's own ground force for security. It'd be a maintainance nightmare, but you've got aircraft for just about every role going. The USAF hall on it's own could bring some serious hardware with a B-52 & SR-71.

I have not (yet) been to Duxford, but I did have Cosford in mind when I started this thread unravelling

Dork the kit slayer · April 13, 2011, 07:57:56 AM

What do ya mean "potentially"!

Old Wombat · April 13, 2011, 06:28:59 PM

I notice there are quite a few Whirlwinds out there, I wonder how much one would cost & what it would cost do a 1:1 "whif" of a navalised version? $:-\$

rickshaw · April 13, 2011, 07:12:57 PM

Quote from: Old Wombat on April 13, 2011, 06:28:59 PM
I notice there are quite a few Whirlwinds out there, I wonder how much one would cost & what it would cost do a 1:1 "whif" of a navalised version? $:-\$

I think you'll find they are helicopters, not aeroplanes...

As The World Book of Knowledge says:

Quote
Survivors

* With the end of production in January 1942, the Whirlwind became another "also-ran." Today none exist, as surviving airframes were scrapped at 5MU - RAF Kemble.
* The last surviving Whirlwind was P7048, which had been damaged in May 1943 and returned to the Westland works at Yeovil for repair. After it was repaired it remained the only serviceable Whirlwind, and the only one to survive the Second World War. The aircraft was eventually civil registered postwar as G-AGOI and used as a company hack for a short time before being withdrawn in 1947, the aircraft was used for rescue training and then engineless buried under westlands airfield.
* In October 1979, the remains of Whirlwind P6966, the first Whirlwind to be lost, were recovered near Grangemouth by enthusiasts in a dig group. The two Peregrine engines were recovered, as well as many pieces of the airframe.
* Plans for a 2/3 scale replica were marketed for home building in the late 1970s and early 1980s as the Butterworth Westland Whirlwind.
* In 2003, UK aircraft restorer Tony King announced that he would lead a group to build a Westland Whirlwind replica from scratch. Built in aluminium throughout, the full-scale replica was intended to taxi under its own power. Since the project announcement, further work appears to be stymied.[14]

The USN example (P6994) was seen at the end of the war in a scrapyard in florida area.

Now, a US Navy carrier based Westland Whirlwind aeroplane would be an interesting thing to see.

Old Wombat · April 14, 2011, 06:17:08 AM

Doh!

That's what happens when the same company puts out 2 aircraft with the same bloody name!

McColm · April 16, 2011, 03:16:25 AM

Well there is the Whittle collection down at Hendon and Tangmere would help out as well.

tigercat · April 16, 2011, 10:41:17 AM

Duxford and Cosford

But what's best? There's only one way to find out...FIGHT!"

McColm · April 17, 2011, 12:44:40 AM

I must admit I've never been to Cosford.
Maybe my mate Kermit over in Florida could get your idea in the air...

Jschmus · April 29, 2011, 10:54:26 AM

Quote from: McColm on April 17, 2011, 12:44:40 AM
I must admit I've never been to Cosford.
Maybe my mate Kermit over in Florida could get your idea in the air...

I thought of Mr. Weeks as soon as I saw the words "scrapyard in Florida". There's all kinds of treasure to be had here, and he's put together quite a collection.

McColm · April 30, 2011, 11:58:09 AM

I was over there back in the 1990's, He had an Canadian Lancaster that he was thinking of getting restored , amogst other projects.
I'd love to see the HP Victor fly again.

pyro-manic · May 01, 2011, 10:08:22 AM

It did, quite recently....